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Return to Identify the problem and take action.

Corrective Action Attendance-related Issues

Problems in this area include:

• Poor attendance patterns such as using sick time as quickly as it is accrued or unscheduled absences on a regular basis.
• Failure to call in on unscheduled absences.
• Failure to schedule vacation time in advance.
• Frequent, regular use of the emergency time-off provisions, avoiding the advance notice requirements.
• Regular tardiness.
• Extended lunch hours or break times away from work.
• Absent without pay time, i.e., time away from work in excess of accrued time off benefits.

Review the provisions of the university's attendance and absences policies:

• Professional Staff exempt from overtime
  • See the policies in the Work Schedules section of the policy manual.
• Professional Staff eligible for overtime and Support and Service Staff not represented by a union
  • See the policies in the Work Schedules section of the policy manual.
• Support Staff at Bloomington and Clerical/Technical Staff at Northwest covered by CWA Local 4730
  • See the policies, "Attendance, Absences, and Personal Emergency" and "Work Schedules and Uniforms" in sections 4.0 and 5.0 respectively of the policy manual.
• Service Maintenance Staff at Bloomington covered by AFSCME Local 832
  • See the policies, "Work Schedule, Hours" and "Absences With and Without Pay" in the Employment section of the policy manual.
• Service Maintenance Staff at IUPUI covered by AFSCME Local 1477
  • See the policies, "Absences With and Without Pay and Benefits Accrual" and "Work Schedules" in the Work Schedules section of the policy manual.
• Service Maintenance Staff at South Bend covered by AFSCME Local 1477-01
  • See the policies, "Absences with and without Pay" and "Work Schedule, Hours, Uniforms" in the Employment section of the policy manual.

In addition, know your department's expectations and actual practices with respect to attendance. Determine the following:

• are your practices inconsistent with the Personnel Policies
• are your departmental-level policies unclear
• are policies not being applied, or
• are policies being applied inconsistently?

If any of these circumstances exist, adjust your actual practices to be consistent with the university and/or your departmental-level policies. Establish departmental level standards and expectations if none exist. Communicate this change to all of your staff following the guidelines for changing a past practice.

Communicate your department's attendance expectations clearly, explaining the significance and importance of good attendance and notification and scheduling requirements.